PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sherine El-Toukhy
AU  - Alejandra Méndez
AU  - Shavonne Collins
AU  - Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable
TI  - Barriers to Patient Portal Access and Use: Evidence from the Health Information National Trends Survey
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.2020.06.190402
DP  - 2020 Nov 01
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
PG  - 953--968
VI  - 33
IP  - 6
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/33/6/953.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/33/6/953.full
SO  - J Am Board Fam Med2020 Nov 01; 33
AB  - Background: Patient access to their medical records through patient portals (PPs) facilitates information exchange and provision of quality health care. Understanding factors that characterize patients with limited access to and use of PPs is needed.Methods: Data were from the 2017–2018 Health Information National Trends Survey 5, Cycles 1 and 2, a nationally representative survey of US adults ≥ 18 years old (n = 6789). Weighted multivariate logistic regressions modeled the associations between patient characteristics and access to, facilitators of use, and use of PPs and their functions.Results: Individuals without (vs with) a regular doctor (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.4; CI, 0.3-0.5) or health insurance (aOR, 0.4; CI, 0.2-0.7), those with high school (aOR 0.4; CI, 0.3-0.5) or with vocational/some college (aOR, 0.5; CI, 04.-0.7) education (vs college/postgraduate), or those with limited English proficiency (vs those who speak English very well) (aOR, 0.7; CI, 0.5-0.9) were less likely to report accessing their personal medical records. Women (vs men) were more likely to report accessing their medical records (aOR, 1.5; CI, 1.2-1.8). Similar patterns were found for PPs access and facilitators of use. Less consistent associations emerged between patient characteristics and use of PP functionalities.Conclusions: PP access and use are low. Having a primary care clinician, patient’s educational attainment, and being a woman were factors associated with PP access and use, but not race/ethnicity. Once access was achieved, use of PP functionalities was generally uniform across demographic segments. Facilitating PP access and use among all patient populations is warranted.